True Love and Unhealthy Obsession
by AnimePerson-Mada
Summary: What I like about her, you say? The way she smiles with those plump lips, and I cannot wait for the day that smile is directed to me. The way her lovely hazel eyes widen in terror when she sees me walking towards her. The way her mind screams for her to run away, but she is frozen in place under my watch. She's everything and nothing. (AU. OC love)
1. Chapter 1

_"I only did this because I love you_!"

The words echoed in her head, chasing away the little peace she had left in her mind. Her hands twitched in her lap and she grabbed hold of her cotton sweatpants tightly, trying to ease her fidgeting. Even while being in a police station, she couldn't stop herself from glancing over her shoulder instinctively. Five seconds passed and another glance. This time she kept her eyes fixed on two officers conversing. She couldn't hear anything being said because they were too far, but it looked like one of them was teasing the other. She didn't know why she found that interesting, but she wanted to cease the echo of those dreadful words.

"Ma'am?"

A startled jump.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd react like that." The investigator apologized with a relaxed smile. She shook her head softly and told him that it was fine. Her eyes trailed over his features as if they had only met. Spiky silver hair, half-lidded dark grey eyes, and a seemingly lazy expression on his face. He didn't look like much from the first glance, but from what she had heard, he is no joke. Top investigator in the city a natural prodigy in his line of work.

"During this interview I will talk to you about the incident we spoke of last time. I will also ask you about anything else which may become relevant during the interview in order to properly establish the facts and issues."

A simple nod.

"Let's start with something simple. Please provide me with your name, age, and current profession."

"Hayashi Megumi, nineteen years old. I'm currently looking for a job, haven't found one as of yet. Oh, and I'm studying engineering in university."

"Engineering, huh? Well, that must be fun."

"Of course." She couldn't hold back a laugh. Almost everyone she met had said the same thing.

"Any family or relative that is aware of what's happening?"

"None. I grew up in an orphanage."

"Any disabilities, physical or metal health issues you'd like to mention?"

"No, nothing like that. I do have asthma though, but I don't think that's worth mentioning..."

"No, that's fine." She watched him take note of everything. It even seemed like he was writing more words than ones that left her mouth. He scribbled down things as she spoke, all the while keeping focus on her.

"Now, we're going to talk more into the case. Were there any strange phone calls, messages, or visits prior to that incident?"

"No. I didn't notice anything. I'm not really quick on catching on things. But there weren't any calls or messages."

"Where and when did this confrontation happen?"

"High Grove Street. It happened around 11:40p.m. I was walking back home from a late night studying session in the university library." She said, recalling waving to her friend before they parted ways. It felt like any other day at that time. She didn't feel anyone trailing behind her at that time.

"Do you often deal with street harassment?"

"No, it doesn't happen too often."

"Could you describe him to me?"

"I didn't see anything. He had a plain white mask on. Um... he was slightly above the average height of a man, I'd say somewhere around 180 centimeters. Of course he was towering over me, and my 148 centimeters. He had midnight black hair; it was too dark to focus on its length. Everything else in his body was covered, he even had gloves on." Her heart raced when she skipped one important detail. _It cannot be that important_ , she tried to tell herself. They could do with or without it, but she still felt like she should've mentioned it.

"Alright. I'm going to show you a picture and tell me if you recognize this person." He placed the notepad on his desk, flipping it over so nothing could show. He opens the bottom-left drawer on his desk and she hears him shuffling through some papers. When he found what he was looking for, he pushed his chair back and stood up, walking around the table to her side. He kept a close eye on her face as he slowly handed over the paper with the picture on it. Her eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh? You know this person?"

"Yes, sir! Well, I don't _know_ him, but I've come across him."

"Explain everything you know in details. Time, place, and the people around you when you encountered this man." He said, casually crossing his arms over his chest and leaning on his desk. He posture looked relaxed, but his eyes darkened as soon as she showed signs of recognizing this man.

"Well, it happened three days ago. It was around 12:30a.m and I was out with my friend in the local bar down the street actually."

"The one down the street from here?"

"Yes. We left the place because she was getting too intoxicated for me to handle. I usually don't drink much or any at all. I convinced her to leave and planned to take her home because there was no way she could do it herself at that point. After a five-minute walk, he approached us and tried to convince us to go home with him. He kept saying stuff like, "let's have some fun," and I refused. After that he got verbally and physically aggressive. He came up to my face and shoved me to the side, but it wasn't strong enough to throw me off my feet."

"And you didn't report it?"

"I didn't see a need to at that time. He was drunk."

"I see. Three days ago, you said? And the other incident happened only yesterday, am I right?" He hummed to himself. And she wasn't sure if he was asking or stating.

"Yes. But what does that have to do with anything? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

"The blood samples we took from your wrist matched this man."

"What? What does that mean?"

"This man was found dead this morning." Kakashi stated, looking her in the eye. He watched the genuine shock and surprised look in her face.

"What? I don't understand..." How are those two related? Her eyes widened and she locked eyes with him. "Do you mean he was killed by _him_?"

"That's what we're looking into. And we're also trying to find out how you fit in all this. Did he say anything important to you? Anything that could help?"

Megumi bit her lips and looked down, "He said, _"I only did this because I love you,_ ". I'm sure this line means more than I can comprehend..."

Kakashi had a distant look in his eyes, "That's interesting. Hayashi-san, are you in a relationship at the moment?"

"No, I seem to have terrible luck."

"Oh?"

"Well, it starts out well, but they eventually run off..."

"What do you mean by 'run off'?"

"...They avoid talking to me again. They run away when we come across each other, and I had one even change his contact number. It doesn't last a week, the longest had been three days, but I heard the guy moved to another state. Why are we talking about this?" She groaned.

"This is actually very important. Do you remember their names? I have a few questions for them."

She nodded and he handed her a piece of paper so she could write down their names on.

"Excuse me for asking this, any recent sexual activity?"

Her face heated up at this and she buried her face in her hands. "I don't- I still didn't do- you know... I didn't do it with... yet."

Kakashi blinked at the blushing girl in front of him. She couldn't lie or mask any emotion even if her life depended on it. All her reactions were raw and genuine. She seemed clueless to everything that's happening around her. And there was a lot from what he has come to realize. Two cases were highly related to each other and she was in the center of all this. He'll see her again, that he's sure of.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to talk to you about, Hayashi-san." He gave her a carefree smile, which she returned with a nod.

Megumi picked up her cross-body bag from the chair as she stood up and with a slight bow of her head she turned to leave.

"Take care of yourself!" She heard Kakashi call as the gap between them grew. She gave him another nod in thanks.

 _"Don't touch me. Who the hell are you?" She yanked her wrist away from his grasp and he let her go without a fight. She took a few steps away, but he advanced on her making feel smaller by the second._

" _For now, you can call me whatever you want." He extended a hand towards her once again and she found herself pinned against a wall. Why was she not paying attention? Instead of placing both hand on each side of her head like she expected, his left hand landed on her cheek. But it was gentle, startling her._

 _Who is this person? Does he know her?_

 _"I didn't want us to meet like this, but I was losing my patience." His thumb caressed her cheek as he spoke._

 _She looked at him like he grew another head. What is he even saying?_

 _"I'm only going to say this once," she could hear the threatening edge in his deep voice, "do_ not _allow anyone to touch you in any way. No one has and no one will. And if they do, I won't hesitate in taking action." He hissed, the hand leaving her face and clenching tightly on his side._

 _"What the hell are you saying? I don't know why you think you have any right to-" The same hand was lifted and his index finger was placed over her lips, silencing her._

 _"Go sleep, you need to rest." He whispered softly._

 _"Don't tell me what to do!" Now she was just being illogical. But she felt the need to yell at him. Was this a prank?_

 _A small laugh escaped from him before he threw his head back laughing._

 _His right hand reached out for her, taking hold of her wrist and she flinched at the cold sticky substance she felt at the contact. What the hell?_

 _"Disgusting! What is that?" She pulled her hand away from him, and once again he let her. Her eyes widened when she examined the handprint on her wrist. "It's red. Oh my... is this blood?!"_

 _It sure smelled like it._

 _"Yes."_

 _Now the question is, is it his blood? If it is his blood, then he's hurt. And if he's hurt then she has a shot at overpowering him and calling the cops. But if it wasn't his blood, then it belonged to someone else. And that seemed like a lot of blood._

 _Her blood ran cold. It wasn't his blood because he was walking around normally. He doesn't look hurt and he isn't stumbling._

 _"Why is there blood on your hand...?"_

 _He tilts his head to the side; no words come out of his mouth. And she can't see his face from the stupid mask._

 _"Answer me! Is this some kind of sick joke?!"_

 _"It's no joke." Both hands lift up to cup her face and she freezes on the spot. "That person deserved what he got." He said and she could almost feel him smile under his mask._

 _This man is insane. He killed someone before coming across her. There is no other explanation. Fear overtook her body and she found herself unable to move or speak._

 _"You're crazy. You're fucking crazy. Take your dirty hands away from me! You killed someone! You're a murderer! And you're here talking to me as if you've done nothing, you fucking piece of shit!"_

 _Scratch that. She can still speak. But her body was still paralyzed in fear._

 _"You can call me crazy, but I only did this because I love you!"_


	2. Chapter 2

"Yes, I understand. I'm so sorry for the trouble. Yes, I'm aware of that as well." She tapped her finger on her study desk, and spun around slowly in her chair. Her friend gave her a smile when she faced her. "Alright, thank you for your time. Bye."

As soon as Megumi disconnected the call, her friend laughed heartily. "I love your expression. College fees?"

"I don't have any money. And I'm two months late as it is. You know what he just told me?! He said I wouldn't be able to attend my January exams unless I pay my 'overdue fees'!" All she wanted at this point was to smack her head on the table and hope she dies in the process and gets away from it all. "I can't focus on my studies when all have in my mind is the money." It was already late October, and she's running out of time. She needs a job.

"Did you find any job? You can't keep depending on students loans."

"I know." She buried her face in her hands with a sigh. She wanted to curl up and cry, but she had things to do. "I have a job interview today. Hopefully it works out well this time. I don't know why I keep receiving rejection letters."

"Yeah. You really do have terrible luck."

"Thanks, I try."

"What did you apply for this time?"

"Waitress, again. I was told they get paid an hourly average of $10. Not much, but it's something. And I was considering tutoring for other students as well, maybe?"

"No, you don't have the time. And whoever said you're smart? One part-time job will do because you were working 2 jobs during the summer break." Her friend brushed off her suggestion and waved her over to the bed. With a raised eyebrow, Megumi got up from her chair and made her way over to the bed.

"What? You look like you have something serious to say but I'm never sure when it's you." She joked but that didn't get a laugh from her friend. Okay, so it is serious.

"Tell me about the guy following you, Megumi."

"Naomi, please don't. I said I don't want to talk about it." She shook her head and was ready to get up as soon as she took a seat. But Naomi wasn't about to let her friend escape. She took hold of her wrist, keeping her put in her place. "Does everyone think it's okay to just grab me whenever they want?"

"What? You know I'm not trying to manhandle you, Megumi. I'm really worried. It seems serious."

A roll of her hazel eyes. "That's pretty obvious, the police are involved after all."

"Can you not be a sarcastic little shit? Sit your ass back down and talk to me. I'm trying to be there for you and you're being a little shit." Her friend snapped, losing it.

She grins at that. "Try not to say 'little' so much. It really hurts my already fragile heart."

"You're a midget, I have every right to call you little. What the hell were we even talking about?"

Megumi laughed and patted her friend of 8 years' head. "Don't overwork your tiny brain. We don't need more incidents this week."

Megumi smiled when the redhead let her go with a huff. She paced around the room, collecting stuff and throwing them on the bed. She needs to get ready for the interview and there was no way she'll get accepted if she shows up late. So far she was rejected from 3 different jobs in different parts of the town. None of them were related to each other and she thought all three interviews went well.

"Okay, this time I'll get the damn job." She said aloud in determination.

"Do you want me to bring ice-cream over with me later on today?"

Megumi gave her friend a look and groaned, "You better mean to celebrate. I'm _not_ getting rejected again."

"Yeah, yeah of course." She said with a too innocent smile. Megumi smacked her with a throw pillow and she got up to leave, laughing all the while. When the door was closed behind her, the brunette put on her outfit quickly.

In forty-five minutes, Megumi found herself sitting in an office along with the cafes manager. The first thing he asked for was her work history. She told him that this is her first job, and he didn't look too impressed. Well, to her at least. It was hard to tell.

"Already then Miss Hayashi, let's start. Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a college student taking a full-time course in engineering. My schedule is quite flexible; most of my lectures are late in the afternoon, earliest scheduled for 1 in the afternoon. I lived in this city all my life, grew up in an orphanage here. And well, if you were to ask me to name you two things I love in this world it'd be food and interacting with people. As a waitress, it's your responsibility to make sure they enjoy their meal and time here."

"Alright, tell me why you want this job."

"I've been here a couple of times before and I love the calm and quiet atmosphere around this place; the people that come here are very friendly. The staff are so nice and always look happy to be here. And this place is quite small, I prefer that over a big restaurant."

He asked her three more questions before asking her to fill in a paper. It was about her uniform. She didn't know that she had to fill this before being accepted. Did she do well?

"Thank you so much for your time." She said respectful and when he gave her a nod in acknowledgement, she excused herself out of the room. She went over the answers she said to him a few minutes ago in her head. She was trying to find fault in anything she said. The more she thought, the worse it became. She took a deep breath and let it out, keeping a steady pace. Whatever happens happens. She can't dwell over something that can't be helped. She answered his questions and handed in the required papers. She did her part and now she has to wait.

Might as well get some coffee since she is in a cafe.

With a smile, she put herself into the line scanning the menu. She liked to decide before getting to the counter, saves everyone time. And honestly people that don't have their orders ready by the time they get to the counter irk her a little bit. Just a little bit. She's a very calm person, or so she'd like to think.

"Next?"

Her turn.

"One small hazelnut latte, please."

"Of course, right away!" He smiles, and she notices that she hasn't seen him here before. And she dropped by just last week.

"New here?" She asks, not noticing him struggling and it came off as rude.

"Yeah, sorry for taking too long. Just give me a second."

"No, no, that's no problem. I was asking cause I didn't recognise you." She cleared up quickly. She didn't mean for it to come off that way.

He chuckled and pulled out a small cup from the stack of cups, "Yeah, I just started three days ago. Need the money for college, and it's a nice place to work at, really."

"It is. I just finished from a job interview here, actually." She smiles at him and hands him her debit card when said the price.

"How did it go?"

"I think I did well. But I'm not one to talk, I've been rejected quite a lot." She says with a short laugh and he joins in.

"We all got rejected a few times. Just don't dwell over it too much and keep looking."

"I will, thank you." He hands her her card back along with the receipt. She takes it and mummers another thank you.

Before she turns to leave, he calls one more time, "It's Obito, by the way."

She offers another friendly grin, "Megumi."

_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_•_

A week had past since she started working at Royal Coffee's cafe. Naomi made sure to drop by whenever she had the time. She was happy for her, and Megumi was quite happy to be accepted into the job. It really was a nice place to work at. And everyone was so welcoming towards her. Obito was the most welcoming between her colleagues because they were almost the same age. She learned that he's twenty years old and is a second year student studying business studies and finance in her university. That was a surprise. Her university is quite small, but she doesn't expect to recognize everyone. They had gotten closer during this week; he was really nice to her.

Naomi loved him as well. She introduced them both only yesterday and the redhead loved everything about him. Of course the first thing she had told Megumi was, "finally someone that might not flee from you".

All was good, until she got a call from Kakashi asking her to come to the station.

He sized her up from the moment she stepped into the office. She felt uncomfortable under his watch because she had no idea why she was here. Did they find something out?

"What is it?"

"Miss Hayashi, tell me about this new friend of yours. This is highly related to the case."

That shocked her.

"Excuse me? Are you talking about Obito? How do you know-? Do you have someone following me around?!"

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and she stopped herself from saying another word. This appears to be more serious than she could imagine. What did Obito do?

He couldn't be...

Kakashi lifted some files from his desk before dropping them as quick as he grabbed hold of them. "We managed to contact all three of the names you gave us last week." She quickly picked up that he meant her ex's. "All of them were hesitant when speaking about it. In the end they confessed that they were threatened to stay away from you."

"What...? Did they describe what the person looked like?"

"No, he didn't confront them directly. We have copies of emails, messages, and phone calls they received."

"Well, that's good!" She said optimistically. They could track him down this way, she'll be done with this soon. It's quite scary knowing that someone is following you around and knows a lot about you.

"We're working on it. The guy is very smart and doesn't leave any hints. For us to find this, he probably doesn't care much for it. And if that is true, then this is more serious than we had originally thought." Kakashi looked annoyed and from his tone, she feared that things might get worse if they don't find him soon enough.

" _I didn't want us to meet like this, but I was losing my patience._ " His voice rang in her head sending a shiver down her spine.

"Still... what does Obito have to do with this?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to know. He was really nice to her. There was no way he was that psychopath. But how odd was it that she found someone she could get along with so much? And they had many things in common. Everything about him was perfect and just what she pictured from a guy.

"All of your past lovers were threatened to leave you alone. You've been close to Obito for a week now. Don't tell me this doesn't add up?" He pointed out curtly.

"I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it could be him. Plus, we aren't dating or anything like that. He's just a friend."

"Do you have any other guy friends?"

"Well, no. But that doesn't mean..."

"Listen Miss Hayashi, you asked for the top investigator in the city, and here I am. It's my job to keep you safe. If you're not willing to regard my warnings, I don't know what's the point of all this. This is clearly serious and I want to stop it before it gets even more dangerous. You have to trust me and cooperate. If his name is cleared up, then you can get close to him, but for now he's a potential suspect in this case."

"Alright, fine. So I have to keep my distance for now?"

Kakashi gave a short nod. "Converse normally during work, but don't meet up after working hours." When she agreed and stood up to leave he added, "He killed a man, I want you to keep that in mind. Anyone can put up a nice guy act, don't be foolish."

"Hold up." She said, grabbing his attention. "You have someone following me around."

Kakashi hummed and lifted some files off the table. "Yeah, we all agreed that that is for the best."

"We? And why wasn't I informed about this? You have no right to pull a stunt like that." She deadpanned.

"We, as in the team working with me to find that man. They are the team with the best results, closing case after case. I assure you, one of the best in the team is the one following you around. You won't even notice him there so it shouldn't be a problem. When you come across that man again, he will be there. Doesn't that make you feel safe?"

She scoffed at his words but didn't say anything and left. She does feel slightly more relaxed knowing that she was in good hand.

But... she was almost sure it wasn't Obito. Why would he do all that shit when he's winning her so easily right now?

She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk when she heard her phone ring in her bag. She quickly took it out and answered, knowing it was Naomi probably calling to ask when she'll arrive home with the takeaway.

She started walking once again and smiled, "Hey, I just finished up. I'll get your food right now, I promise. No more stops."

Silence.

"Hello? Naomi?" She called when she didn't receive an immediate answer. When she was about to pull the phone away from her ear, her friends' voice came in,

"Finally!" She heard a dramatic sigh over the phone and shuffling. "I'm starving. Besides, guess who's here?"

"Who?"

"That's not guessing." She heard a males voice in the background and had to stop in her track. She only knew one man that Naomi would invite to her place. This is bad. She just promised Kakashi she'd stay away from him, and he's waiting for her at her house.

"Is it Obito?" She already knew it was him, but hoped that she'd be wrong. Maybe one of Naomi's cousins?

"Ding ding ding! Yes, Obito is here. We bumped into each other coincidentally in the mall, while I was shopping. He was alone so I invited him over."

Megumi internally groaned. Invited him over to _her_ house. Why did she trust her friend with the spare key?

And 'coincidence'? He was 'alone'? Let's invite a guy we've known for one week to the house. She liked Obito, he was a really nice guy, but he was still a stranger. She didn't know anything about him, and he now knows where she lives and probably a lot more from Naomi. If Kakashi was right about Obito, she's in trouble. But if Obito and her stalker is the same guy, then he already knew where she lives.

"Megumi?"

"Hm? I'll pick up extra food then." She said, letting out a deep breath she was holding in. This was too troublesome.

"Don't mind me, I already ate!" She heard Obito's voice from a distance through the phone.

"Okay, less weight for me to carry." She heard them both chuckle and smiled. Obito can't be her stalker. Just a smile from him makes her heart race. He wasn't the unstable murderer she came across that day.

"'Kay. We're waiting for you."

The three of them spend the rest of the afternoon together. Megumi couldn't shake away her doubts and uneasiness about the situation, but she went along with the day pretending she wasn't troubled.

Obito was a suspect and to prove his innocence she has to get to know him, right? There was no harm in that. Kakashi is a top investigator, but that doesn't mean he's always right. Obito might have nothing to do with this. He just might be a nice guy. He just might be someone she can trust.

After Obito leaves, Naomi smiles to her and says, "He's very cute. I think I like him."


	3. Chapter 3

When Naomi had said she liked Obito, that was an understatement. After her confession to Megumi, all she talked about was Obito.

"Obito is so good at cooking."

"Did you know Obito was originally from Japan?"

"Obito told me about this really cool life hack!"

On the bright side, Megumi's doubts about him have come to an end. He seemed to have taken a liking to her friend. So that meant he wasn't the bad guy. She had no solid proof to present to Kakashi about his innocence, but she felt a little more comfortable being around him now. The three of them usually spend time together, but recently Naomi and Obito spend time together alone. She didn't mind being left out because it made her friend happy. She loved those two and loved seeing them together even more. And her crush on Obito was no more. He wasn't "the one" and it was okay. She's only nineteen and she has more than enough time to find the perfect guy.

Moving on, her job was by far the best one she applied into. It didn't feel like it was a job she was forced into because she needed the money. Having Obito there was great as well. Naomi visits more often now that both her friend and boyfriend work there. She doesn't like complaining about her job because it could be a lot worst but...

But, she regrets taking on the shift of her coworker that called in sick today. She wasn't forced to take on the shift, she offered to fill in for her. That was mostly because the manager was looking between Obito and her. They were the newest addition to the cafe so he was going to throw the job at them. She knew for a fact that Obito was taking out Naomi to a fancy restaurant today because her friend wouldn't stop gushing about it. She'd feel bad if he were to cancel because of this. So she offered to take the shift.

And that is why she was still here at 12 a.m. cleaning vacant tables. Two other people were inside working with her - Michi and Ren. Both of them were in the kitchen and from the sound of it, it seems that they're done. She was finishing with her last table and she'd be done as well. All table utensils were already taken care of by Michi and Ren, she just had to wipe the floors and clean the tabletops.

She heard the kitchen door being opened and the two of them walked out, talking about their plans for the weekend.

"Still not done, Megumi?" Michi asks in a teasing tone. She rolled her eyes at his childishness. Everything he did, he took as a challenge and included everyone around him. If they both worked at the same time, he'd keep watch on how many tables everyone else took care of and made sure he was the best at it. He didn't like being second at anything, not even in his studies. He was also studying in her university, both of them in the same major. He was a top student there, second to no one.

"I'm done." She says, straightening up and gesturing to all the table. His smile grew at her response.

"You can leave now if you want, Megumi. We'll put the stuff away and then leave. It's already late." Ren told her and she was thankful. She left them to gather her stuff before stepping outside.

She was used to walking back home at night, it was nothing new. But it was either short distances or Naomi was tagging along with her. She really needs more friends.

The streets were packed with people. There was quite a number of pubs and clubs around this area so it wasn't much of a surprise. It's usually quiet in the morning when the clubs are closed. But she didn't understand why it was so dark here. She didn't notice this before now.

She shivers and feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand. It felt like she was being watched by someone, but she knew she was only being paranoid. She always felt nervous walking out at night alone, and the place was very rowdy.

A thought came to mind and she pulled her phone out, dialing Naomi. She could just keep her on the line as she walks home. Its 12:10 she must be home by now, waiting for a call to bubble over her fantastic dinner with Obito.

After the forth ring, she knew she wasn't going to pick up. Just her luck.

She pockets her phone and avoids bumping into the intoxicated crowd, not wanting to deal with troublesome people. A big wave of people left the club next to her and flocked around her small form making her feel suffocated. They weren't drunk to the point of not making sense, but they were very loud. Her head began to pound as the horde got louder by the second.

A distant figure whose eyes were fixed on Megumi noticed her slow down her pace; and the way her body started to sway slightly in the crowd. He didn't think much of it until she pulled away from the crowd and rested one hand on the wall as if she couldn't stand on her own without the help of it. Her breathing became more ragged as he got closer. No one paid her much mind, assuming she just had too much to drink. He stood behind her for a moment not sure what to do, but he reacted when she collapsed to the ground. His arms wrapped around her small form and slowed down her fall. He gently placed her on the ground and asked her what was wrong. She swatted his hand away from her and tried to get up again. He was astonished that she managed to walk at this state. He followed closely, making sure that she won't fall again. He guided her towards the nearest alley, away from the crowd.

When they got there, she collapsed once again breathing heavily. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans, and he quickly put together the pieces. She was having a panic attack.

"Miss Hayashi, I'm a cop. I'm going to help you through this, okay?" He keeps a good distance away from her, but stays close enough for Megumi to hear him.

She shakes her head and he isn't sure whether she understood what he said or not. "Concentrate on your breathing, what you're feeling is scary but it's not dangerous."

She looks up for the first time and locks eyes with him, she mouths sick and he doesn't quite understand until he has vomit over his shoes.

He stand up and tries to kick it off, "Great." It comes out with a colder tone than intended and he frowns when he sees the sad look on her face.

"I'm so sorry!" She chokes out, tears running down her face. He notices that she was gasping for air and crouches down next to her this time. He gently pulls her hair away from her face, and pushes it all behind her shoulders. "Take deep breaths with me. In and out, one. Two. Three. Four. Good job you're doing so well." He steadily counts to ten, unconsciously stroking her hair.

"Phone." She manages to say, gesturing at her bag with her head.

"Do you want me get it for you?" He asks softly, taking his hand away from her after noticing his action. She nods slowly and he reaches for her bag.

He hands it to her as soon as he finds it, and she shakily grabs it. Her breathing got better, but she was still shaken up. He holds himself back from taking hold of her hand for comfort. It will probably freak her out. He stays quiet as she calls her friend, and tries to explain the situation. She sighs and lets her arm drop to her lap, giving up after she finds out that talking is difficult. She breaths unsteadily and wipes her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.

He offers his hand towards her, gesturing to her phone, "Let me." He takes it from her and gave the details to her friend, explaining to her that he was a cop.

"Where's your ID?" Megumi asks when he hands her the phone back. She seems to be calming down gradually, which he was glad about.

He reaches for his pocket and pulls out his ID badge. She looks at it with hazy eyes, then looks away.

"You knew my name."

"Ah, I'm the cop assigned by Kakashi."

"To follow me?" She guesses and he rubs his hands together nervously.

"Yeah." He looks over her shaking form and couldn't stop himself from asking, "Are you cold?" The ground was freezing, and she wasn't wearing anything to keep her warm. She didn't prepare for the night shift and the temperature drops dangerously low during the night.

She hums with a nod and shifts on the ground to find a comfortable position. She sighs deeply and he can see her breath. He tries his best to ignore her presence but after a few moments of fidgeting, he pulls off his coat and holds it out to her.

She was about to protest, but he cut her off, saying, "You need it more than I do. I'm wearing another layer under this. Just take it, you don't want to get sick."

She stares at him in indecision for a second before reaching out for it. He purses his lips and pulls his arm to his side quickly when she takes it. He stands up, feeling his legs go numb and paces back and forth the small alley. The street was still packed with drunks shouting and singing over each other. An intoxicated couple pulled away from the boisterous crowd and into the alley. The man pinned the woman to the wall and they started making out loudly. He scoffs and turns away from them. He caught Megumi sighing at their action.

"Can you stand up?" He asks, walking closer to her.

"Yeah." She takes hold of his extended hand and pulls herself up with the help of it.

"Let's get some fresh air. It's better if we go back to the cafe. It'll be easier to meet your friend over there as well." He offers and she nods quietly in agreement. He keeps her close when they start moving to make sure she doesn't fall over or have another episode. He doesn't pull away when she loops her arm around his and leans closer. They reach the cafe in silence, each to their own thoughts.

Megumi lets go of him and updates her friend with their location.

"She'll be here in a minute."

He nods in acknowledgement and stays quiet. Megumi moves to take off his coat, but he holds his hand up to stop her, "It's fine, keep it."

She huffs and takes it off anyway. "I'll be inside a car with heaters. You won't so don't tell me that you don't need it." She forcefully pushes it toward him with a determined look. When he still looks unwilling to take it, she adds, "It's barely cold."

He smiles when she shivers at the sudden blow of cold wind, but still manages to keep the serious look on her face. He takes it from her outstretched hand and walks up to her. She takes half a step back at the close proximity and cranks her neck up to look at his face. He holds the coat over her shoulders, trying to put it on for her but she stubbornly keeps still.

"Please?"

She huffs at his nice request, but actually complies.

He moves away from her and they both stay quiet after that. He notices her glancing his way as if to say something but then shakes her head and keeps quiet.

After the forth glance, he speaks up, "Go ahea-"

"You know-"

She looks away again and he chuckles, "You were gonna say?"

"You shouldn't be too nice like that."

"You mean the jacket? I did what I thought was right." He says with a raised eyebrow.

"It's unnecessary." He was taken aback by her harsh tone. She was fine a minute ago, and he thought they were getting along.

"I don't understand."

"You, of all people, should know that there's an unstable guy following me; he's either threatening or killing the men I come across. It's better if you stay undercover and away from me."

"Nothing's going to happen to me. I was chosen for this job for a reason." He says quietly, kind of stung by her insult.

Before she could say another word, she recognizes her friends' car at the end of the street. In a minute Naomi arrives and leave the car in a hurry. "Megumi! Are you okay?" She looks over Megumi, worried.

"I'm fine now, I promise. Just very exhausted." She gives her a smile when Naomi doesn't look convinced.

"You seemed shaken up during the call and I freaked out. I thought something happened to you. I was showering when you called the first time, but the second time I was drying my hair and noticed my phone flashing- okay I'm rambling. Are you sure you're okay?"

Megumi laughs shortly at the familiarity and shakes her head, "I'll talk about it later." Before she could say no more, she remembers that they weren't alone. She turns around to face the cop, and is baffled when she doesn't find him. She looks around the street but finds no one nearby. She briefly wonders if she's going crazy, but the warmth of the oversized coat wrapped around her body tells her otherwise.

"What is it?" Naomi asks.

Megumi smiles sadly with a shake of her head, "Nothing."

It was better off this way.


End file.
